Working Together For Bethlehem

Bethlehem has a long history of partnerships that strengthen the town. The Town works closely with organizations like the Bethlehem Seniors Project, Delmar-Bethlehem EMS, Food Scraps 365, and Friends of Bethlehem Parks and Recreation. These are collaborations that improve services, support residents, and enhance public spaces.

Now, we’re taking that spirit of collaboration in a new direction: local agriculture. The Town and Be-ECO are exploring how a municipality, a nonprofit, and everyday residents can share responsibility, resources, and investment in the future of farming right here in Bethlehem.

Together, we are testing new ways to care for the land, support local farmers, and make use of shared infrastructure, including:

• Helping new and early-stage farmers who might not yet have access to land

• Providing space for small farm operations to experiment, grow, and produce food for the community

• Treating farming as a public good, not only private enterprise

By combining municipal support, nonprofit expertise and community participation this model creates opportunities that no single group could achieve on its own. In a time when local food, sustainability, and community resilience matter more than ever,

What if farming were something we did together?

Bethlehem is showing that agriculture isn’t just business—it can also be a shared community investment, a way to care for the land and land stewards, and a way to keep our town strong for years to come.